Stephen Kinzer

player.captivate.fm/episode/416447… I sat for an hour-long session with our Brown University world affairs podcast.

While reading several works on Iran’s political structure, I came across a short but insightful article from 1997 by @stephenkinzer who at the time was the Istanbul bureau chief of the New York Times and had been invited to Iran to cover the country’s presidential elections. His description of Iran captured a fundamental tension that still defines the country today: “Iran is a large and very proud country, acutely conscious of its rich heritage and unwilling to accept dictates from any outside power. It is also insecure and confused, its people deeply divided over what kind of society they want at home and what role they should play in the world. Iran may emerge from this conundrum as an outlaw nation, one that thumbs its nose at the world and pushes toward dangerous confrontations with other powerful states and groups of states. It also, however, can become an example of democracy and stability in a region that has known precious little of either. It is this dichotomy, this contradiction, this remarkable potential to shape the Middle East and the wider world for better or worse, that makes Iran as important as it is fascinating.” My reflection? Nearly three decades later, Iran still lives inside this contradiction as a nation torn between opening to the world and confronting it.

From the preface of the 2008 edition of the book... Literally everyone needs to read it. And if you have read it like me, reread it! @stephenkinzer knew what he was talking about.

Currently Reading: ‘All the Shah’s Men’ by @stephenkinzer #IranWar

bostonglobe.com/2026/02/28/opi… By attacking Iran, the United States has launched a war of choice based on false pretenses. (full text on FB)

bostonglobe.com/2026/02/24/opi… Costa Rica’s exceptionalism is fading The country’s politics are beginning to resemble those of its troubled neighbors. By Stephen Kinzer – Boston Globe - February 24, 2026 (full text on FB)

Transmitted below is a link to today's conversation between Stephen Kinzer and Anatol Lieven focused on the history of U.S. regime-change operations.     quincyinst.org/events/book-ta….

my @GlobeIdeas column: bostonglobe.com/2026/01/28/opi… Trump should know the folly of meddling in Iran The Islamic Republic is fending off an uprising. American intervention could make the situation worse. (full text on FB)

quincyinst.org/events/book-ta… For some reason, my book "Overthrow" is back in demand. I'll discuss its contemporary relevance at a webinar on Feb. 3, sponsored by @QuincyInst

EVENT: Join this online panel for a conversation on Iran protests and their global stakes, with CIP Senior Fellow @NegarMortazavi, @jabdi and @stephenkinzer. 🗓️Friday Jan. 30 at 3pm ET RSVP: masspeace.us/iran-us-israel

My @GlobeIdeas column: Seizing Greenland would shock the world. It shouldn’t. The United States has often violated international law when that suited its purposes. (full text on FB) bostonglobe.com/2026/01/14/opi…

Mohammad Mossadegh (1882 - 1967) Prime Minister of Iran from 1951 to 1953. Tried to carry out progressive reforms. Began nationalization of the Iranian oil and gas sector. On this basis, he entered into conflict with the USA and broke off relations with Great Britain. As a result, he was overthrown with the participation of American and British intelligence services. As soon as the coup succeeded, many of Mosaddegh's former associates and supporters were tried, imprisoned, and tortured. Some were sentenced to death and executed. The minister of foreign affairs and the closest associate of Mosaddegh, Hossein Fatemi, was executed by order of the Shah's military court. The order was carried out by firing squad on 10 November 1954. 📷: The photos were taken in 1953 - during the trial of Mohammed Mossadegh.

For my Turkish friends, a translation of "The Brothers: John Foster Dulles, Allen Dulles, and Their Secret World War."

Trump destroys his tough-on-drugs cred – In @GlobeIdeas, @stephenkinzer says Trump gutted his antidrug credibility by pardoning ex-Honduran president and convicted drug kingpin Juan Orlando Hernández. ow.ly/emyU50XC7BG

If you want to learn the real history of what the US has done around the world& who the major power players were,listen to all of @CredicoRandy’s interviews with @stephenkinzer &get his books! stephenkinzer.com

My @GlobeIdeas column: As Trump bombs Venezuelan boats in order to fight what he calls “narco-terrorists,” he has just freed one of the biggest of them all. bostonglobe.com/2025/12/04/opi…

bostonglobe.com/2025/11/27/opi… My @GlobeOpinion column: "Pouring more billions into the Ukrainian quicksand will only produce more bloodshed and a worse result in the end. In this case, ugly peace is better than permanent war."

I am interviewed about the CIA's MK-ULTRA mind control project described in my book "Poisoner in Chief." podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mis…

As Trump eyes Venezuela, one key target may be closer to home — In @GlobeIdeas, @stephenkinzer writes that U.S. threats against Venezuela are driven more by a strategy to weaken Cuba than by concerns about Venezuela itself. ow.ly/vyY750Xrcop